[Genshin Impact] A world where only travelers are alone.

Chapter 38 Dog

Ventara had a dream in which she returned to her grandmother's lap and listened to the old woman tell fairy tales about animals and magic.

She likes these things.

Grandmother is getting old and likes to reminisce about the past. She often steers the conversation to her mother after only a few sentences, affectionately patting Wintara's head while saying that her mother also loved this back then.

Mother... Mother who will forever only live on in Grandma's words...

Ventara didn't like her mother.

The fact that her parents had never visited her was just a not-so-wonderful fairy tale to her, but every time she said that, her grandmother would scold her severely, telling her that her mother only kept her there because she was good to her.

Little Wintara couldn't understand the connection between the two things, but it's human nature to seek advantage and avoid harm, so in order to avoid being scolded again, she stopped bringing it up.

Over time, she came to regard her grandmother's nagging as mere background noise, and quietly played with the black and white puppy wagging its tail at her feet.

The puppy barked twice at her and then happily licked her face with its tongue.

……

The warm, damp feeling on her cheek made Wentara instinctively hug the head in front of her. She groggily opened her eyes and called the puppy's name, "Shuta..."

So someone stopped what they were doing.

Leosley abandoned his attempt to give her another good morning kiss, his eyes narrowing with a dangerous glint in them: "Ventara, who is Hutta?"

Since the person was already asleep, she couldn't reply, so Leosley poked the girl's slightly chubby cheeks again and again, trying to wake her up.

Untara impatiently slapped his hand away, adding fuel to the fire with her words: "Shuta, you're not well-behaved at all... you're a bad dog..."

Leosley was extremely unhappy.

So you call me a "good dog" here, but you're secretly keeping a "bad dog" outside?

Untara hissed in pain as he lost control of his movements, finally waking her up.

Upon opening her eyes, she found herself surrounded by people. Even with Wentara's strong mental fortitude, she couldn't help but change her expression.

If she hadn't recognized the familiar, full curve of the pectoral muscles in front of her, she almost wouldn't have been able to resist kicking the person down.

"You promised you wouldn't lay a hand on me, Duke?" Ventara's morning grumpiness kicked in, her cold face looking like she'd been owed money.

Leosley was taken aback by her preemptive strike, and his original question was left unanswered. He could only explain why she was there.

"Perhaps you can take a look; this is my territory."

Ventara glanced around with some skepticism and saw her own pillow at the other end of the bed; this was indeed the territory she had assigned to Leosley the night before.

Feeling guilty only lasts for a fleeting moment.

Her gaze drifted, then hardened again, as if she had convinced herself: "You mean I crawled out from the other end of the blanket in the middle of the night? Impossible, I'm a very quiet sleeper. You must have secretly carried me here last night."

To be fair, given the Duke's shamelessness, this is entirely possible.

The more she thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed.

Unfortunately, someone focused on the wrong point: "How do you know you're a good sleeping person?"

Logically speaking, it's difficult for people to notice their sleeping posture once they're asleep, right?

Ventara, of course, had no idea what it was like when she fell asleep, but she always stayed in her original sleeping position when she woke up every day, so there shouldn't be any problems.

Worried that this evidence wasn't convincing enough, she not only brought it up but also added, "And that's what other people say too."

Someone else? Is this "someone else" that Hughta?

Leosley felt his two canine teeth starting to itch again.

He casually inquired, "Others? Who do you mean?"

Ventara had no idea who this "other person" was, and vaguely replied, "Anyway, it's someone you don't know, so asking won't help."

Her words convinced Leosley of his suspicions, and he gritted his teeth, vowing to find this so-called "Shuta".

As for what happens after he finds it? He swore in the name of the warden of the Mello Petersburg prison that he would never use his position for personal revenge—

While he was pondering what to do if he encountered that Hutta in the future, Ventara was already getting ready to get up.

She sat up in bed and stretched.

The Duke had specially prepared a thin nightgown for her, which was pulled up as she reached out, revealing a slender waist and faint bruises on it.

Two weeks have passed since the accident caused by drinking, but since it was also someone's first time, they inevitably didn't know their own strength and left some marks.

When he caught sight of this, Leosley's expression softened.

No matter what, Ventara is his lover now, and he will never let her go, no matter who that Hutta is.

Leosley never expected that Hutta, whom he had been longing for, would appear so quickly.

*

Urged on by Ventara, Leosley decided to take her to the dog café she had been longing for as soon as possible.

The shop manager was a young man with a head of fluffy, soft, curly hair. He exuded a harmless aura, much like the dogs he kept in the shop.

When planning today's itinerary, Leosley had specifically spoken with him and learned about his experience opening the shop. He knew that he started from scratch and that these dogs were originally strays, but they became what they are today thanks to his daily care.

Leosley admired young people like the store manager who were so talented and kind-hearted, and greeted him warmly as he entered: "Good morning, Mr. Bernard."

Bernard is his last name.

Unlike Fontaine, who prefers to address people by their first names, the shopkeeper's country prefers to address them by their surnames, so to this day, Leosley still doesn't know his name.

But these are all digressions.

Upon hearing Leosley's voice, Bernard immediately stopped what he was doing and put the puppy, whose nails he was about to trim, on the ground.

"Your Grace, you've arrived." The young man's smile was gentle and incredibly kind. "The announcement has already been made; no other guests will be coming today. You can enjoy this private time to the fullest."

Leosley nodded, about to say something, when Ventara suddenly whispered, "Shuta..."

The Duke's eyes sharpened.

He glanced at Bernard, then at Ventara, who was looking down, seemingly lost in thought, and suddenly smiled. "Mr. Bernard, could you come here for a moment? I have something I'd like to tell you."

Bernard approached, puzzled.

Along the way, he couldn't hide his curiosity as he looked at Ventara next to Leosley.

A face I've never seen before... She seems quite close to the Duke, are they lovers? No wonder the Duke booked the whole day, it turns out it was to please his beloved...

The more he thought about it, the more convinced he was that he was right, so he quickly looked away to avoid upsetting the Duke.

But it was too late. Leosley had taken in all of his little tricks, and his smile deepened.

"Ventara, you rest here for a while. I'll be back after I finish talking to him."

Before leaving with his people, Leosley made sure to tell Ventara where he was going, and then glanced at the oblivious Bernard, giving off the vibe of a legitimate girlfriend deliberately showing off her closeness to her boyfriend in front of the mistress.

Bernard: Bewildered and helpless.jpg

Wentara didn't answer him. She squatted down and played with the puppy that Bernard had just put down, calling out "Shuta" softly.

Unfortunately, that person had already gone far away and completely missed the opportunity to discover the truth.

The black and white puppy looked only a few months old, but it was already quite lively and affectionate, playing with her enthusiastically and occasionally licking her cheek.

The scene from her dream seemed to be playing out again, and Ventara couldn't help but smile softly.

The puppy's tail wagged even more enthusiastically.

"Shuta, Shuta—" she called over and over again, and the little dog obediently squatted beside her, responding to her every time, showing remarkable understanding.

When Leosley returned after subtly boasting to Bernard about his relationship with Ventara, he found the two of them practically glued together.

The other neglected dogs in the dog café had already surrounded her, looking enviously at the black and white puppy in her arms being constantly petted, but because of someone's neglect, they didn't dare to go up to her at all.

Bernard walked over, patted the other dogs on the head, and remarked, "You really seem to like this puppy."

Ventara rarely talks to strangers, but she was in a contented state right now and naturally didn't mind chatting more.

She nodded, almost reluctant to put it down: "Yes, it looks a lot like the one I used to have."

Bernard asked curiously, "What happened to that puppy after that?"

Ventara shook her head: "I don't know either. It was actually a puppy my grandmother bought for me, but after she died, I was adopted and never saw it again."

Bernard quickly apologized, "...I'm sorry, I brought up something that upset you."

Ventara waved her hand, indicating that it was none of her business.

At this point, Leosley's limited patience had run out.

He wrapped his arms around Ventara from behind and rested his chin on her head.

This behavior finally drew Wintara's attention back, and she angrily pried Leosley's hands off her, but couldn't resist the fact that someone was determined to make their intimacy even more obvious.

Unable to persuade him, Ventara had no choice but to surrender and let him continue, while she played with the puppy in her arms.

But Leosley wasn't about to stop there. Seeing that she was ignoring him again, he immediately resorted to verbal harassment: "Ventara, this is the first time I've heard you mention what happened before you were adopted by the Delascos. Why have you never told me this before?"

Wow, the vinegar smell is unbelievably strong!

Unfortunately, Ventara was incredibly oblivious to such matters. Even Bernard, who wasn't directly involved, sensed something was wrong, but she remained completely indifferent.

Only when Leosley asked again did she roll her eyes at him and say coldly, "You've never asked before either."

Leosley finally couldn't resist and leaned down to bite her cheek.

It didn't take much effort, but it still left a faint tooth mark on the girl's face, earning Ventara a strange look in return.

(End of this chapter)

The author says: Hehe, I couldn't resist giving myself a day off yesterday (scratching head).